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arley_gw

Is a sanitary cycle worth an extra $300???

arley_gw
13 years ago

I'm considering getting a LG Wave toploader, the one with 5.2 cu.ft. capacity. It comes in two models, one with a sanitary cycle and one without. The one WITH the sanitary cycle is about $300 more than the other, which appears to be otherwise essentially the same. (Well, the pricier one has a glass top and the cheaper one has a solid metal top.)

Question: I've never had a washer with a sanitary cycle. Any of you out there with one regret the purchase, or would you recommend it unconditionally, or maybe it's somewhere in between?

I understand there would be some cycles for which it makes great sense (white towels, some linens), but do you find that you use it a lot?

Any comments--positive, negative, indifferent--are welcome...Thanks in advance.

Comments (20)

  • susanelewis
    13 years ago

    My Maytag Bravos has a sanitary cycle with Oxy. I have now switched from using bleach in my "whites" cycle to using that cycle plus OxyClean. I don't have to worry any longer about that errant black sock getting mixed up with the whites.

    Also, we had a guest who stayed with us for a couple weeks only to tell us he was exposed to scabies. I had to wash all the bed linens in his room and I was very glad that I had that cycle. I liken it to the sanitary cycle in a dishwasher which I use when someone is very sick in our house.

  • linkay42
    13 years ago

    I have the new LG with glass lid and love it!! Also have matching dryer..Got it in white as that was $100.00 each less!

  • mieleforme
    13 years ago

    I say YES. Depending on the quality of the brand this might be more or less worth it but the ability to sanitize is great.

  • mark40511
    13 years ago

    I say go for it, even if you RARELY use it (at least you have it).....I've had my Duet almost six years and I'd say I've used sanitary maybe ten times.......It does a good job and I don't think it uses no more energy than running a dishwasher (so don't think that by using it, it will cost a lot) It doesn't. Just takes a while to run the cycle.

  • stbonner
    13 years ago

    I think it's worth it. It's one of those things that you may not use often, but you'll be really glad to have it when you need it.

  • mysteryclock
    13 years ago

    For me the important benefit of getting a sanitary cycle washer is that it will always have an onboard heater, rather than the cycle itself. If that unit is designed to use the heater to guarantee certain temperatures for the wash no matter the input temps, that's a real plus.

  • apalmieri
    13 years ago

    I use it all the time and no longer use bleach.

  • asolo
    13 years ago

    Be sure that all you're missing without the "sanitary" cycle is that single highest-temp option. To my knowledge any/all machines with a built-in heater have the "sanitary" option. Those without a built-in heater don't. You DO want a built-in heater. Without it, you'll never get an actual wash temperature above 105-110 tops.

    FWIW, I've had my Duet with the "sanitary" option for over five years. I used it once. However, I use cycles that utilize the on-board heater for hot washes very frequently.

  • sandy808
    13 years ago

    I use the sanitary cycle a great deal in my Duet. I use it for my towels and sheets. The whites are whiter, and I have seen no damage from using this cycle. Sometimes if I have an extremely dirty (from gardening) load of darks, I use the sanitary cycle with them as well.

    I feel it is worth having.

  • westvillager
    13 years ago

    $300 over the life of the appliance seems more than reasonable. If you have any reason to need the cycle (like the posters above) in a month of laundry, then it's a done deal.

    My reactions don't fit with most responses, sorry about that. I guess I look at things weird. :\

  • housefairy
    13 years ago

    It does add quite a bit more time to the cycle. But I think it saves the wear and tear on the clothing. Like Electroluxor I quit using bleach. For those things I use an oxyclean product and the sanitary cycle.

  • kitchendetective
    13 years ago

    I have LG front loaders (five years old next month) and I use the sanitation cycle frequently. We live on a ranch, so you can extrapolate therefrom. I would not want to be without that capability.

  • washerman8
    13 years ago

    I just received my LG topload washer with the Sanitary cycle and matching dryer yesterday. I purchased my pair for $799.99 each from Best Buy two weeks ago. I LOVE THEM!!!

    I think you should get the model with the Sanitary cycle because with the Bright Whites cycle the water does not get very hot. The hot water is mixed with a little cold water and after the washing portion of the cycle is finished, the water is still that hot. Therefore, I am going to use the Sanitary cycle to get the water up to 158 degrees and keep my whites white.

    Also, the model with the Sanitary cycle, you get the Delicate cycle as well. The other model does not have this.

  • asolo
    13 years ago

    "...with the Bright Whites cycle the water does not get very hot."

    Thanks for saying this. In the race for good ratings, the manufacturers have all programmed in various temperature-points that work for them. In my opinion there's not one operator in 50 that has any idea what their actual wash temperatures are. And, for the most part, the manufacturers won't tell you. At this late date, they still say "cold", "warm", and "hot".....with zero information as to what those words mean. They all use phrases like "Bright Whites" or "Whitest Whites" as if they're selling their expensive machines to 4th-graders.

    Very annoying.

  • gates1
    13 years ago

    I have sanitary cycle on my HE3T, I use it all the time! It heats the water to 153 degree's. I use it for bedding, yes pillows too, even though it says to wash them in warm..too bad, I do it anyway and get no damage from doing so. I also use it on my work jeans, havent really noticed a big loss in the blue dye nor do I care. I work in a machine shop and the extra hot water gets the oil out of my jeans, and work T shirts. Kitchen towels get the sani treatment, along with bath towels as needed. I do not use Chlorine bleach and other additives to my clothes, no need for it. White look like snow, even after cutting the grass.

  • wackowade
    7 years ago

    I have used sanitary for the first time, my father lives with us, he is 98 and incontinent, I have had trouble getting the smell out of his underpads and have had to spray them with fabreze and post washing due to the smell. I am sure that that is over! After washing the pads now smell clean and fresh with no lingering odor!

  • divotdiva2
    7 years ago

    you never know what needs you may have in the next few years, as wackowade points out, you may need it for urine etc. I wash all the dog stuff on sanitary, along with Nature's Miracle to kill enzymes. If the puppy has an accident and hits the scatter rug, I use sanitary cycle. Anytime someone in the house has a cold or flu, all their bedding is washed on sanitary. It's very useful and I would not want to have a machine without it.

  • mamapinky0
    7 years ago

    Is sanitary worth extra money?? Depends if your talking thermal sanitize which gets the wash temps up in the 150's F or if your talking sanitize with Oxi which is a big gimmick as I think the temp is hot water tap and may not even be that hot.

  • fordtech
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I dont have a sanitize cycle but I do have an onboard heater. I think that is very important to ensure your hot wash is really a hot wash. I dont have a 220/240 volt source to run a real powerful heater like Euros have so it will take a long time to get up near 160 degrees and keep it there. Long wash cycles might make it more hassle than its worth to me. As long as I have a true hot wash that is good enough.